Beth Camp Historical Fiction

Saturday, March 07, 2009

#153 Did you . . .

Did you pinch your daughter’s hand
because she didn’t mind you quickly enough?
Leave your three-year old alone in a motel?
Feed him beer because he was crying?
Hit her because she laughed too loudly?
Lock your child in the basement?
Or worse?

Your child will never forget.
You can’t take it back.
You can’t say “I’m sorry”.
Those memories won't go away.
Remember this. This is important.

This week's prompt from Sunday Scribblings asks us to write about something that is truly important, something you notice or would like to say. This was my first reaction. Child abuse takes so many forms, not the least at the macro level being poverty. Many adults struggle the rest of their lives to heal themselves from what happened when they were vulnerable and unable to defend themselves. So, what you do forever shapes a child (and their children), whether you are parent, teacher, or even a babysitter. Be mindful. Be gentle.

12 comments:

  1. A very important message there.

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  2. Anonymous6:37 PM

    you're right.. they never forget. i never forget..

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  3. Your message is incredibly important...if only all parents could be mindful and gentle.

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  4. Oh, so true...damage doesn't die because of aging. Excellent.

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  5. Good post. You could tie this subject back to the Truth, Trust, Regrets, and of the previous prompts we have had on here.

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  6. Anonymous4:19 AM

    Damage can be done even with the smallest of actions, which is why it's important to keep the message in mind all the time.

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  7. This is a very important message!

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  8. Excellent way to use the prompt. I will be posting this on my sidebar as one of the best posts for this week.

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  9. My husband was abused as a child, and his two sisters. He got it the worst. He got a beating because his arm was broken from an accident at school. He got locked in closets when he wanted to play ball outside.
    He is a genlte loving man. He knows what it feels like to be abused and says,"why would I want to inflict that on someone I love?"
    Parents should think more.

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  10. You're right. I think about this often: both as a child and as a parent.

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  11. Beth,
    I'm reading HIllay Clinton's book "Living History." In it she quotes Jackie Kennedy something to the effect, "If you mess up raising your children, you've pretty much wasted your life." This poem underlines that. Thank you!
    Sandy Jensen

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  12. Very powerful message in your poem. Sadly so many do not do right by the children because there parents did not do right by them. Many times, it is cycle.

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